The Epicenter of Jain Culture in the South

Jahnavi J

The Epicenter of Jain Culture in the South

On the way to the Vindhyagiri Hill from Channarayapatna in Karnataka, one can spot the looming figure of the Gommatesvara even from afar. Under the patronage of the Western Ganga Dynasty of Talkad, the magnanimous monolithic sculpture of Bahubali as a Digambara was built at Shravanabelagola. The trail to the site, amongst the two hills and tens of Jain mutts dedicated to other Tirthankaras, enhances the form, making it one of India's most important Jain pilgrimage centers.

Painting of the North view of the Gommatesvara looking over the Vindhyagiri Hills in 1806. Source: British Library| an original sketch on the Mysore Survey in 1806 taken by Lieut. Ward| Shelfmark: WD 576

Hundreds of years after the demise of the twenty-fourth and last Tirthankara, Mahavira, there was allegedly a severe drought in Bihar in Northeast India, the place of his birth. Srutakevalin Bhadrabahu, the last of the Digshruta Kevalins$^1$, guided those in danger to take refuge in Karnataka. Among them was Chandragupta Maurya, founder of the Maurya dynasty and a pious Jain. Under the footsteps of his revered guru, Bhadrabahu, he had migrated to a cave atop Chandragiri Hill, where he meditated even after his **guru’s death. He died performing Sallekhanā Vrata or voluntary death$^2$; consequently, Shravanabelagola was observed as a site for voluntary death until the ninth century.

In 981, the Gangas ruled over southern India, from Kolar and Talakad. King Racamalla had invited a poet to his court to narrate stories of the first Jain Tirthankara, Adinatha, and his sons Bharata and Bahubali*.* While his devoted mother Kaladevi visited a place called Paudanapura with the minister and commander-in-chief Cavundaraya, they saw visions of the brothers; ultimately, Cavundaraya consecrated the colossal statue of Bahubali carved out of an erect granite tor$^3$ atop the Vindhyagiri Hill in Shravanabelagola.

Śramaṇa in Sanskrit means “ascetic” and Belagola (Bella-kola in Kannada) means “white tank”—corresponding to Dhavala Sarovara$^5$ in Sanskrit. The site is near Channarayapattana in Karnataka, 158 kilometers from Bengaluru. The monolithic statue of Gommatesvara consecrated by Cavundaraya stands 17.5 meters tall, the largest in India. During the ceremony, Cavundaraya performed Pratisthāpana–Mahotsava and Mahāmastakābhiṣeka of the sculpture. Mahamastakabhiseka translates to “head anointing ceremony’ and is still performed to this day every twelve years.

Over 40 lakh visitors from around the world, Jain leaders, acharyas, swamis, and devotees convene for twelve days to pour 1008 kalashas$^6$ of watered milk, butter, ghee, and other sacred elements to perform the Abhisheka.$^7$ A scaffolding is constructed to help the priests and devotees alike to reach the top and worship Bahubali. Recently, art festivals have been conducted in association with the Mahamastakabhiseka, featuring artist’s camps, exhibitions, live demonstrations, and art-based talks.

Spatial design played a prominent role in the context of the structure. The landscape offered views of the two hills with the water body in the valley. Temples, mandapas, and open pavilions can be seen on the way up to the summit before one reaches the Gommatesvara. They dot the landscape and follow a practical sequence leading up to the statue, even though there is no central axis.

For example, one would encounter the Bhrammayaksha Temple at the base of the hill, where one would pray before embarking on the 620-step journey to the top. Resting points are marked by gateways and basadi dedicated to Tirthankaras, providing solace to the visitor while still engaging them in the sacred reverie. At the summit, one would move through an enclosed mandapa$^1$ $^0$which opens out into the large courtyard where the devotee would come face-to-face with Bahubali’s creeper-entwined feet. The courtyard served as a place for the Jains to gather and worship.

The whole experience stupefies the visitor—myth, belief, architecture, and nature work in unison to tell the enchanting story of the supreme Bahubali.

The details of the polished structure, like the long arms at the side depicting his stance during the penance*,* stretched ear lobes, broad chest of approximately 8 meters, volute curls, the creepers growing along his body are meant to depict his quest of enlightenment, the belief systems he followed of renouncing the worldly pleasures and his super-human nature.

However, the depiction of Shravanabelagola deviates slightly from the other instances found before.

An earlier bronze sculpture of Bahubali from the post-Gupta period (fourth to sixth century) shows him with his curls coming down to the shoulder, but in Shravanabelagola, he has tight curls. Usually, the images of Bahubali were never isolated and representations at Badami/Aihole show him with Parsvanatha.$^8$ But here it was an independent rock-cut image; even more interesting is the fact that Jains revered the Tirthankaras, and Bahubali was represented along with their statues inside temples, but in the case of Sharavanbelagola, his image is out in the open and represented on a massive scale compared to the statues of Tirthankaras within Basadis$^9$ dotting the area. Bahubali was a kevalin or one who obtained supreme knowledge but not a Tirthankara, which may have been the reason for such portrayal. One can find mutts and basadi dedicated to Tirthankaras on the second and smaller hill at the site, Chandragiri.

King Purudeva of the Ishvaku Dynasty, later known as Adinatha, the fifth Tirthankara, renounced his kingdom and divided it between his hundred sons. Bharata, the eldest of the sons, wanted to annex all his brothers' territories into his kingdom's share. All the brothers gave up their kingdoms except for one, Bahubali, who ruled from Paudanapura. In a decision to not endanger their subjects, they decided on one-to-one combat; Bahubali, the stronger of the two, had the upper ground until he was about to crush his elder brother in the last wrestling round. Filled with the guilt of having embarrassed his brother, he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and pursue enlightenment.

For a year, he stood erect in penance, not bothered by the termite mounds at his feet or the serpents crawling on his body. Figures of women inscribed in Shravanabelagola with the figure of the Gommatesvara during the Hoysala$^4$ period might allude to the women who “respectfully removed the entwined creeper to free Bahubali from any calamity or obstruction for his meditation,” according to Jinasena. Bharata paid homage to his brother and, after his enlightenment, commissioned a statue of him in his capital Paudanapura.

Years later, when both the city and the man were erased from the people’s memories, was when Cavundaraya stumbled upon his legacy and decided to commission a figure in his honour at Shravanabelagola.

Scaffolding technique during the 2018 Mahamastakabhisheka. Source: Deccan Chronicles| 2018 Mahamastakabhisheka: German techniques for safe scaffolding